


of sepia-coloured petals

by nsykdk



Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Cherry Blossoms, Flower viewing, Gen, Spring, honestly? feels more like character study than fic, memory overlap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 17:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15272721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nsykdk/pseuds/nsykdk
Summary: In the garden of fluttering petals, a single memory is remembered.





	of sepia-coloured petals

**Author's Note:**

> Basically this was written for the "Spring Vacation" prompt for a contest (which I can't enter), and it was to contain *Zero Percent Angst™* but it's...probably in there somewhere. Probably.
> 
> Either way, I tried using the same structure as I did with _be the romeo to my juliet_ , alternating between a memory and the present. It's supposed to be short and sweet in comparison, so please enjoy!

The blooming flowers boast their endless beauty in Elrios every spring; covering fields of luscious green in dancing petals and bright blooms of colour. Among them, the cherry trees are the most spectacular, boasting avenues of blooming branches and picturesque cityscapes; bringing a splash of colour and joy into even the most gloomy parts of town.

With hands full of laden picnic baskets, a ragtag bunch make their way towards a beautiful oriental garden, where the breeze carries a sweet aroma and fluttering petals. The place has been reserved just for the special guests, the heroes of Elrios who had chosen to spend their spring in the awe of the continent's most beautiful blooms.

After months of desolate wastelands and slain demon corpses, the garden is a bright change. A cheerful aura radiates through the group, bringing rare smiles and laughs.  
  


* * *

_  
A girl's laughter echoes in the sepia of an old memory. Her body twirls in the midst of the petals, a beauty incomparable to the flowers that bloom overhead._

_"Come on, dance with me!"  
  
_

* * *

  
Raven doesn't know exactly how long it has been since he last saw blooming flowers in the thousands.

There had once been a beautiful park by his home in his childhood, but the memories of those carefree years are increasingly hard to draw upon; their details filled with forgotten silhouettes and empty spaces. But there is one, one single memory which is burned into his mind; one memory where the details, no matter how small, remain ingrained forever.

It brings a burning pain in his chest to think of.  
  


* * *

_  
"I'm not good at dancing," he says, but still spins her in the petals; laughs with her as they catch in her flying hair and in the folds of her plain dress. His heartbeat thuds in his chest as they fall, exhilarated, in a heap in the grass._

_Her smiling face lies in his peripheral, and despite his exhaustion he manages to tuck his arms around her and hold her to his chest. Her laughter is a rumble against his body, a muffled tinkle of bells.  
  
_

* * *

  
A sudden silence falls in the garden. The rest of the party have gone on ahead, taking with them the happy atmosphere and noise.

The breeze upon which flashes of pink flutter on now feels cold on his skin. Even with the heat of his Nasod arm, it is cold, so cold. For if it is not warmth he feels, then it must be the bitter cold.  
  


* * *

_  
Her fingers seem to bury into his hair with the same natural ease of their lips meeting. Though it has been years, every kiss seems as magical as the first, still brings the same spark of affection that had never died._

_He watches as her eyes flutter open, as overflowing affection fills them with the gentlest sparkle._

_She doesn't say it, but her eyes do.  
  
_

* * *

  
A tear splashes onto the stone pathway at his feet, and for a single dumbstruck moment, Raven simply stares at it. His hand comes back from his face wet, but it doesn't seem to matter at all.

The sun shies behind a dark cloud, and the garden dims in shadow. Dull pink petals lie trampled in the dirt, forgotten in the wake of footsteps.  
  


* * *

_  
There's a deathly lump in his throat as he slides his hand into his pocket to retrieve the trinket. But she continues to smile brightly as he grasps her hand, drawing on all the seriousness in his meagre twenty-four years of life for courage._

_It feels like a million years before he opens his mouth and the words he'd rehearsed for weeks tumble out._

_"Seris, will you marry me?"  
  
_

* * *

  
They were young, but they were in love and so beautifully blinded. He had been so prepared to begin that simple, happy married life with her; it had been his only wish to spend the rest of his days with her by his side. But how easily that dream had been crushed, trampled on, thrown away...  
  


* * *

_  
Her eyes grow wide with shock, but the answer is so clear._

_"Of course, Raven, of course I'll marry you."  
  
_

* * *

  
The gentle voice of Rena is what brings him back to the present. She looks slightly worried - after all, the rest of the group had gone in their high spirits without him.

"Is something the matter?"

It's hard to put into words how he feels. The breeze whisks away the sigh before Raven utters it.

"Just...a memory."  
  


* * *

_  
"It's everything we ever dreamed of- right here, in my hands." She lifts up her hand, rays of golden light reflecting into his eyes. "The future we always wanted."_

_"To be by your side - forever -- today is the happiest day of my life."  
  
_

* * *

  
"People come and go so quickly," Raven finds himself saying. "Almost like the blooming of the flowers."

Rena is silent. The rest of the group have filtered in one by one, solemn eyes downturned.

"Raven." It's Elsword, his tone ever cheerful in the sunlight. "Today's a day for victories. We've worked really hard, haven't we?"

A nod and collective murmur echo around the group as Elsword smiles. "Everyone has people they want to share the flowers with. And we all agreed to come here together, right?"  
  


* * *

_  
She flashes him a beautiful smile as they lie in the bed of petals. Her eyes seem to radiate more light than the sun, reflecting the love in her irises._

_"Hey, do you think we can come here again?"  
  
_

* * *

  
"That's why, you know," Elsword continues, "we're all here today. That's why we should enjoy today with the people we're with. Right?"

"That's right! It's not fun if we're all stuck in the past." Aisha steps into the sunlight, beside Elsword. "Everyone else has also lost something in the past. But we shouldn't always let the past burden us."

The rest of the group smiles.

"She might not be here now," Chung cuts in, "but she'd want you to enjoy yourself, right?"

Finally, a small figure pushes in front of them all, pointing a finger up at Raven. "Ciel even made cookies just for today! So you better enjoy yourself or I'll eat them all!"

"Come on, Raven." Elsword holds out his hand. "Let's just have fun."  
  


* * *

  
_"I'll come back here with you as many times as you want."  
  
_

* * *

  
"What are you all waiting for, then?"

**Author's Note:**

> I tried! I tried not to angst!
> 
> As usual, scream at me on Twitter [here](https://twitter.com/nijiiro_kisetsu) or read more [here](https://rebellionstars.carrd.co) !


End file.
